Drainers
by ForzaOUAT
Summary: Nick comes across something that should be legend. Something that may prove vampires are not the top of the food chain.
1. Chapter 1

Yada, Yada, FK is not mine, though given all the FK Fic I've written I think I deserve a cut

Drainers

Part One of Many

It was impossible. Inconceivable. They could not exist, did not exist.

They were bound to the mysteries of the past. Lost in legend. They were ghost stories that vampires told their children to make them behave when it was time to sleep.

Drainers.

A species of being evolved beyond them. They did not have to walk at night; they did not recoil at the sight or touch of the cross. Their bodies did not age, nor could they be killed. They were said to be a truly immortal race, incapable of dying ...ever. They were everything vampires were not. They had it all, save one thing. Their survival depended on the vampire race. For as vampires had to drink human blood to survive, so too did Drainers have to drink blood. Vampire blood.

Nick Knight was a good cop. In fact, given that he had been a cop for so long, he was an excellent cop, but at the moment, he did not know what to do. His stomach churned as he stared down at the young man lying at his feet. One of the young ones, no more than 50 years-old. What a waste. His face was pale ...more than it should be. There was a small cut on his upper torso. There was no blood. Nick crouched and tried his best to survey the body without bias, but he couldn't.

As Natalie made her way over to the crime scene, she saw Nick stand suddenly and push his way into the woods. Curious, she walked over to the body and shock reverberated through her. A vampire. She looked closer, trying to see what it was about this young man that had upset Nick so much. She couldn't see it.

"Wrap it up and send it back to the office. I'll be there after a while."

The body was surrounded and Natalie stepped away. She turned and made her way into the wooded area around the scene.

"Nick?"

She heard the sound of violent retching and moved faster. Something was horribly wrong here and she didn't know what it was.

When she found him, he was kneeling in the leaves being severely sick behind one of the trees. She didn't know what to do for him, so she simply stood there, stroking his hair, trying to give him some reassurance.

"It's okay."

The retching had stopped, but now his body was wracked with silent sobs that were trying to tear their way out of him. Natalie was startled.

She had never really seen him quite this emotional, and she was at a loss. Natalie knelt down and rubbed her hands over his back. Trying to do something, anything, to help. Nick finally turned away from the tree, but the tears still ran in crimson streaks down his face. Those soft blue eyes that had so often given her hope, were filled with overwhelming sadness and something else, something she had never seen. Fear.


	2. Chapter 2

Drainers

Part Two of Many

Natalie dared not stay much longer. While it did not appear that Nick was even remotely close to being able to move any time soon, Natalie had a dead vampire headed back to the coroner's office at that very moment. She couldn't afford to linger. For that matter, she couldn't let Nick linger either. People would eventually come looking, and that would not be a good thing, considering his condition.

"Nick?"

He didn't seem to hear her. He was looking at her, but he was not seeing her. He was seeing something else. Another place, another time, another friend, perhaps, that he had lost on the long pathway of his life. Natalie raised her voice.

"NICK!"

It took several more moments, but finally he blinked. Once, twice and his eyes began to focus. He looked up at Natalie who still knelt in the dirt in front of him. "I'm sorry."

She wasn't sure if he was talking to her, or some phantom long since dead and gone. "We need to get out of here, Nick."

"What? Oh ..." he looked around himself, almost as if he had just realized where he actually was, "yeah, sorry."

Natalie stood and offered him her hand. He took it and climbed unsteadily to his feet. He wavered for a moment, and then regained his balance and composure. He could feel the heat on his face and tried to wipe the lingering tears away leaving red streaks in their wake.

Natalie smiled and grasped his hand, pulling it down and holding it still at her side, "Here, let me." She pulled a worn and ragged looking tissue out of her coat pocket. At this, Nick looked dubious, when she spit on it, he recoiled.

"That's just ...gross, Nat."

She shrugged, "It's this or have sticky streaks on your face all the way back to the station and then explaining to Tracy, not to mention Captain Reese, why it appears that your face was bleeding, oh and why you were ..."

"Enough." He sighed, defeated, and looked into her eyes, "Just do it."

She began dabbing the red off his face, "Oh, a sports metaphor ...how very human."

"Very funny." He squirmed and twitched through the whole process, but in the end, she had cleaned his face. The tissue was now stained red and slightly damp. She pushed it into his hand. He made a face, "Gee, thanks."

"At least you look generally presentable now." She grinned and he smiled for the first time that evening.

"You know just how to flatter me into submission, my lady." She smiled again as he brought her hand, which was still clutched around his, to his lips. She didn't want to ask the obvious question. A question they were both now evading as hard as they possibly could. What had happened here? What had triggered such an emotional response out of a man who rarely showed his emotions at all?

For many months now, they had chosen to try to be at ease with one another. The chemistry they had together was undeniable, but as he was unwilling to do anything that might harm her, and the only way for them to do anything exciting was for him to put her at risk, that left them both very few options. They had, instead, chosen a compromise of sorts.

They would not pretend they didn't feel anything, but would also accept that it was not meant to be. They had also promised, for better or worse, that they would be honest with one another. So far, it had been working.

"Nick ..."

He knew it was coming and held up a hand, "I know. Not here, okay? Let me go back to the station, write my report, talk to Tracy and Reese and I'll meet you at the morgue, okay?" He paused for a second and then added, "Please, Nat."

She nodded, "Okay. Promise me you'll come."

"I promise."

That was all she needed. Natalie took back her hand, which he still had pressed to his cheek and turned away, toward her car, away from the feelings that were raging through her. What didn't he want to talk about? Or rather ...who didn't he want to talk about? As she walked, she realized how much she still didn't know about him.

So many things that were a part of his memories happened before she was even a thought in her parents minds, or for that matter, before her parents were thoughts in anyones mind. How was it possible to get so close to someone, to love someone as much as she loved Nick, and still know so little? She pondered this all the way back to the Coroner's building.

When she arrived, Nick, as he had promised, was already there. She almost laughed. There was something to be said for vampiric power. Not that she would ever know. She sighed, and painted a smile on her face. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better, I guess." He opened the door for her, "Let's talk."

They walked into the silence together. It was something Natalie had always loved about her job. It was quiet ...and the paitents didn't bitch, but she was digressing. Nick took up residence on the end of her desk. It was so familiar to her, that she didn't even think twice about it. When she looked back over at him, she realized once again how little she knew about him. Later, she would not be able to say why this concept hit her so powerfully at that moment. She understood him, his heart, his passions, his personality, but did she really know him at all?

He looked down, examining his hands, "I'm sorry about before, Nat."

She shook her head, "You don't need to apologize, Nick." She moved forward and placed one finger under his chin, lifting it up so his clear blue eyes would be looking into her own. "Just explain what happened."

He took her hand in his and squeezed. For barely a second, it almost seemed like he was trying to comfort himself. She was his touchstone, and she knew it. And for all she would rather be to him, she could live with that. As he began to speak, his eyes tracked the tiles on the floor. His voice was barely a whisper, but she heard him loud and clear.

"Her name was Angelica. Angel, actually. I met her in about 1328, a couple years after Janette walked out on me. She was so young, so lost, so alone and I felt the same way. Like I'd been abandoned. She was brought across when she was only 15. I took her in and I loved her like she were my own child. I think, now, that she resented me for that. She hated that I never saw her as an adult, although she was older than I was. That was why she started seeing him. That was how I let her get away from me. That was how I killed her."


	3. Angel's Story

Drainers

Angel's Story

Nicholas de Brabaut was sitting on the edge of a bed. Beside him, tucked in up to her chin, was a young girl. All he could see of her was the top of her head; golden blonde curls almost the color of snow. A color, he thought sadly, that would never change, no matter how old she got.

She couldn't be more than 15, but in her eyes was the wisdom that only centuries could bring. Chronologically, she was more that a hundred years Nick's senior, but in his eyes, she was and always would be a child. It irritated her on more levels than she cared to admit. Like it or not, however, she needed him, for she was unable to protect herself so many times. Powerful she most certainly was, but she was short and young and older, bigger, stronger vampires had a tendency to take advantage of her. Her life had been wrought with enslavement, until she met Nicholas. He seemed as if he needed her in his life as much as she needed him. She didn't know why, exactly, but she knew he was alone.

Angelica, or Angel as Nick liked to call her, looked up at him with clear, sky blue eyes, "Tell me the story again, Nicholas." Her voice had a slight accent. Nick thought it was charming, he also knew that eventually she would lose it and everything she had been in mortality would finally be gone. He smiled down at her and brushed a stray hair out of her face.

"One more time, and then you must sleep. It's almost midday."

Angel smiled and nodded. Nick knew she had no intention of sleeping, but he was unable to deny her anything she asked of him. Save one thing, which he did not feel was appropriate. That would never be between them; they both knew it and she resented it. He knew he should probably walk away before something happened to one of them; before the resentment grew to a level she could no longer live with and she left, but he couldn't seem to make himself give her up. It had been like that with Janette, so too was it like that with Angel; for different reasons.

He closed his eyes and told her the story that LaCroix had often told him in his youth, "A long time ago, before vampires were brought across, there were 11 full-bloods. They were happy this way, for the community in which they lived knew of their existence and did not bother them.

"One day, so long ago that no one really remembers the date, Mathias, the eldest of the full-blood vampires fell in love with a mortal woman.

Her name was Uliwea, and he loved her so completely that they did something that was against vampire law, they had a son."

Nick paused and opened his eyes. Angel was watching him, her eyes big, caught up in the story.

"His name was Atlas, and he was born human. His mother died in childbirth, but Mathias raised him with all the love he could possibly give.

He moved away from the others, into Greece they say, and settled down to try to give his son a normal life. Atlas, however, began to notice that his father did not age and finally, when their ages were about the same and most people thought them brothers and not father and son, Atlas asked his father for the truth."

"Mathias explained to his son that he had long since stopped aging because of what he was, a vampire. Atlas did not understand why he was not to be allowed this gift of immortality and begged his father to go against every law he knew and try to bring him across. A legend had long since existed that to drain a human to the point of death and then replace their blood with your own would make them also a vampire. Atlas was willing to try and while Mathias felt it was a mistake, he did it anyway."

"According to legend, Atlas was the first vampire to be brought across and not born. The other ten elders were furious and sought to destroy Atlas. One of them, Taret, tracked down both father and son. He killed Mathias, and Atlas walked in on them. Atlas lost his mind. His sorrow, his fury, his rage drove him into the very depths of insanity and he killed Taret by drinking his blood, all of it. This one act transformed him into a Drainer. His DNA was forever changed. He was no longer confined to darkness, he did not fear the Cross, he was impervious to death of any kind. A truly immortal being. In his insanity, he destroyed seven of the nine remaining full bloods. He gained a taste for vampire blood, and soon found it was an addiction that he could not easily give up. The other two full bloods, it is said, were kept in captivity, made to create more vampires, and so our race was born. Through Atlas, with the generations of his family, passed down from father to son, or mother to daughter, the Drainers also evolved."

Nick grinned because Angel was staring at him so expectantly. She

licked her lips, for this was the part of the story she liked the best.

"It is said they prowl the daylight, searching for young vampires who will not sleep. And when they find them, they make each of them into a meal fit for kings. It is not known how many Drainers are among us, only that they are there ...and they lie in wait ...FOR YOU!"

Angel jumped and started laughing, "I love that story."

"I know you do." Nick leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep."

Angel made a face, but then turned on her side and closed her eyes. Nick stood, stretched and walked out of the room. He closed the door quietly, moving through their home silently. He did not know someone was, at that moment, making their way through Angel's window. He did not know she was welcoming him into her bed. He did not know. And yet, he felt like he should have.

The man was about Nick's age, perhaps a little older, with the same blond curls and similar blue eyes. He was not the man she loved, but he would do, for now. She did not know why he came, for he was quite obviously human, but she was not going to complain. Nick didn't want her, not like this, so she had to seek out companionship from somewhere else. He smiled as he slipped into bed next to her and pulled her into his arms, "I have missed you, Angelica."

She only smiled. The fact was she had barely thought of him at all, but when he touched her, when he stood there in the room, there was something ...something she had not felt in centuries. Desire. He made it happen, and while he still had not told her his name, although he had been coming to visit her every day for several months, she couldn't seem to make herself care. She wanted him, and this clouded any warning that might have gone off in her mind had she not been so overwhelmed by passion.

His lips touched her collarbone and drifted a little lower. She tried to suppress a groan, knowing that Nick would hear her. She felt a familiar pain, like he had stuck her with a pin, and then there was nothing but passion. Images swirled through her mind as he pulled her closer.

Her eyes clouded with need, and slowly, the world around her began to go dark. She did not notice as the world faded away, she did not feel that her heart was slowing down; she felt nothing but his arms, his hands, his lips, and Nick's face in her mind. As she passed into the arms of death, Nick's face was the last thing she saw.

That was how Nick found her that evening. A smile on her lips, a cut on her upper torso, and dead ...she was dead. He had no idea what had happened. He didn't know about her visitor, nor that she had been with him so often for so long. All he knew was that his precious Angel was gone, forever, and once again, he was at fault.


	4. Chapter 4

Drainers

Part Three of Many

When he finished the story, tears were running down his face again.

Natalie looked slightly surprised, and a menagerie of other things that she could not place. Some anger, some jealousy ...some things that should not exist at this point, and yet she had no control over them. She grasped Nick's hand and squeezed, as much to be comforting as to bring him back from wherever it was he had gone.

"It's not your fault." These words echoed in her mind. How many times had she said this to him over the years? How many times had he told her about things that had happened in his life that could not be his fault and yet the guilt plagued him as surely as his desire to reclaim his mortality.

He looked up, willing her to understand, but he could see she did not and he was going to have to explain it. "Natalie ...it doesn't matter if I was at fault or not. Don't you see what's going on?"

She shook her head, as he knew she would and he sighed, "Nat, since that day I have always wondered what happened to Angel, how she died, what could possibly have gotten to her in a locked house in the daylight..." he paused as he watched the horror of comprehension finally wash over her face.

"It can't be."

Nick strode over to the young man they had found earlier that evening. His anger was rising, "Look at him."

Natalie glanced at the body, but then looked away, for all the world feeling as nauseated as she was sure Nick had felt earlier. She shook her head, "I saw it already."

Nick reached out and grasped her by the shoulder. He was being unnecessarily rough, and he knew it, but somehow he couldn't seem to make himself care, "I said, LOOK AT HIM."

Natalie shook him off, "Get your hands off me. I have looked at him. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry Angel died, I'm sorry this man died, I'M SORRY NICK, but I can't change anything. I will do an autopsy, I will put him in an incinerator, it will be fine. I'll fix it, like I always do, to protect your stupid secret. Okay? I'LL FIX IT."

He released her immediately, his breathing was coming in gasps, "Oh God, Nat, I'm ..."

She stared at him, a fire burning in her eyes, something independent that she had when he first met her but had lost somewhere along the way.

She was reclaiming herself and somehow that made something inside him ache with pain, "Sorry?"

"Angel was killed by a Drainer, Nat. That's how she died, the same way he died."

"I thought you said Drainers were legend."

Nick almost smiled, "Yes, and vampires are ...what exactly?"

"Good point. So, perhaps you can calm down for a just a minute and explain to me why this is different from any other murder case you and Tracy have worked on."

Nick took a deep breath. He SO didn't want to have this conversation. It was uncomfortable on more levels than he could begin to deal with, but like it or not, she had to know what was out there. Why it was so dangerous, and why, the danger was not to her, this time, but to him.

"I don't know this from first hand experience, it's only legend."

Natalie nodded, "I think we covered that. Legend. May or may not be true ...got it."

"Okay ...well ...Drainers are not a danger to humans, for one thing. They feed on vampires, only on vampires. Like I said before, they appear human in every other way. They eat, they drink, they walk in sunlight. You would never be able to tell the difference." So far, he thought, this was going okay. He could perhaps skirt around the aspects that were uncomfortable.

"I take it that vampires can tell whether they are humans or Drainers. How?" Or perhaps not, he thought with a sigh.

He paused, searching the room for ...a way out? A skylight, a window ...damn why was this stupid room underground again?

"Nick?" Natalie was beginning to get worried. She hadn't seen him quite this ancy since ...she had never seen him this ancy. It was weird ...and about to get so much weirder, she had no idea.

"Okay ..." he took a breath, let it out in a gust, and continued,

"Vampires ...they don't ...uhm ...they don't do things the same way humans do."

Nat smiled, "You don't say."

Nick was literally beet red, and getting redder. He wasn't ancy, he was embarrassed and this fact made Natalie begin to laugh.

"Thanks for your support, Nat."

She gasped, "I'm sorry, please continue, although I do reserve the right to continue laughing should the occasion present itself."

He shook his head and attempted to meet her eyes which just made him turn that much more red, "What I mean is that vampires don't ...uhm, we can't, you know ..."

"No, I don't know, do share."

Nick sighed, "We don't ...we aren't intimate in the same way humans are."

He was actually extremely grateful for the euphemism that had, like a gift from God himself, just come into his mind.

"Okay." Nat paused. What was it that had him so unhinged? Sex? Was he really this embarrassed about talking to her about sex? And ...she paused for a moment, why was he so embarrassed about talking to her about sex? Was she reading way too much in to this? No, she thought, it was definitely unusual for someone as old as Nick to worry about talking to anyone about sex. Did he think she was going to get ideas? Nah. Was he getting ideas he would rather not have? BINGO.

"Well, Drainers make it possible for us to ...uhm ..."

Natalie held up a hand and took pity on him, "Nick, I'm a medical doctor, you can say "sex." I have heard the term before."

Nick looked at the floor ...anywhere but directly at her as he spoke again, "Drainers make it possible for vampires to have sex. Like before, when we were human."

Natalie finally had the entire story, "I see. That would be very attractive."

"It is, I mean, I'm sure it is ...not that I've ever met a Drainer, but wanting to ...I mean ...well, I imagine feeling ...ah crap."

Natalie smiled and nodded, "I understand." She took his hand and he finally looked up at her. She had to make an effort not to burst into laughter again. She didn't dare speak and after several moments of complete silence, Nick began to get worried.

"Nat?"

Natalie paused and then, "Uhm ...yeah. Sorry, I was just wondering when your head was going to explode into flames." And at this she began to laugh ...hysterically. So much so that Nick finally had to go over to the sink and get her a glass of water. She took it and sipped in between gasping for air and laughing. Nick tried his very best to look hurt and stern, but failed miserably.

"Okay ...okay. Thank you very much. This is incredibly amusing, I'm sure, but we actually do have a murder to investigate, or rather, I do, so I think I'll go find my partner and investigate. You'll take care of the body?"

Natalie had stopped laughing and was now mopping tears off her face. "Of course I will. Don't I always?"

Nick stepped forward, into her personal space and looked into her eyes. "Have I ever said thank you for that?"

Suddenly, she wasn't much in the mood to laugh. His eyes were filled with desire, need, a passion of emotion that she longed for but he had always said would never be. What had changed in this short space of time? Her need for him must have crossed her face because he lowered his head and kissed her gently. Natalie sighed into his mouth as his arms came around her and crushed her to his chest. This was all she would ever need. If they could just stay like this forever, her life would be complete.

They broke away reluctantly. Nick stared into her eyes for several long moments, "Thanks," and then he walked out of the office.

Natalie watched him go; wishing he would come back and knowing that this moment would not repeat itself for a very long time. She touched her lips and tried to hold on to the feelings, "You're welcome."

Nick walked into the police station with a smile on his lips. Maybe there could be something between himself and Natalie. Anything was possible, right? He looked around for his partner and saw both her and Captain Reese talking to someone in the interrogation room.

Whoever it was, their back was to him. Tracy looked up from talking and saw him. She waved at him to join them. Nick nodded and opened the door, stepping inside.

He had taken one step when a wall of desire so powerful it slammed into his chest with the force of a freight train almost knocked him down. He looked from Reese, to Tracy, to the person seated in the room. He didn't know who it was, but it was a Drainer.


	5. Chapter 5

Same disclaimers as before. Not mine, never have been, I'm just using them for my amusement …oh, but Angel, Skye et al (new people) are actually mine.

If you're reading this for the 75th time because I've not finished this story yet, I understand your desire not to review (you probably already did at fkfic), if not …review please. I need the feedback.

Drainers

Considering the fact that he was incredibly aroused by this person's presence, Nick whole-heartedly hoped this Drainer was female. He didn't have to wait for long. As he walked inside, she turned suddenly, feeling his presence. Nick stopped in midstride, and stared into clear blue eyes the color of the sky. It couldn't be, it was impossible, she was dead. He had incinerated her himself. He knew it was impossible and yet ..."Angel?"

The woman at the table was literally stunned into silence. She had, of course, assumed that there were vampires in the city, or the Drainer she sought would never have come here, but him … here in the police station. This, she had not expected.

She shook her head, "No. I'm sorry. Have we met?"

Her hair was trimmed short, spiked on the top, but it was the same white-blonde that Angel's had been. Granted, she was older, at least 25, but the eyes ...dear God, the eyes were the same. The centuries of life that now looked on him could not be hidden. He shook it off, "I mistook you for someone else. My apologies."

"It's fine. Who are you?"

Tracy interceded, "My apologies to you both. Skye Chambers, this is Detective Nick Knight. He'll be working on this case with me."

Skye stood and held out her hand, "My pleasure."

Nick hesitated. He did not want to touch this woman ...ever, if he could avoid it. Both Reese and Tracy were looking at him expectantly; both were wondering why he was being so rude. Reese cleared his throat and Nick took the hint. He grasped her hand briefly, but that was all it took. That one touch triggered in him a chemical reaction he had not felt in a very long time. His whole body tingled with need, want, desire ...but in his mind, he did not see Skye as the object of this affection, he saw Natalie.

Since it did not appear that Nick or Skye were going to say anything any time soon, Tracy spoke again, "Skye has been working on some similar homicides in the UK, Nick. She came to help."

Nick looked at Skye suspiciously, "Really? There's only been one homicide, how did you find out? The body hasn't even been categorized yet."

Skye's eyes darkened with anger. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to put the blame onto her. Trying to make her look suspicious in the eyes of his boss and his partner, "I would speak with you alone, if that is okay, Detective Knight."

For an instant, Nick almost panicked. He did not want to be alone with this woman …what might she do to him if he was? Tracy and Reese, however, seemed to think this was a good idea. They both mumbled something about getting something to drink and left the room. It was unlike them to leave like that and Nick looked to Skye for an explanation. Somehow, he knew she was responsible for their cooperation. Skye shrugged, "Well, we can talk in front of them, but somehow, I don't think you'd like their reaction."

"Don't threaten me. I know exactly what you are."

Skye smiled, "Of course you do. You're a vampire …"

Nick cut her off, his words were dripping with an edge of bitterness he didn't realize he had until that moment, "and you're a Drainer. What do you think? I'm just going to fall over, writhe in pleasure and let you kill me?"

Skye rolled her eyes, "Naturally. Because as a youngster you were taught that Drainers were the scourge of the universe. Soulless, damned creatures who have no feelings beyond their next kill. Right? Get over yourself, Detective. Humans are taught the same thing about vampires, and from the looks of it, you're not a psychotic killer. Isn't it possible that there are Drainers who feel the same way about killing vampires as some vampires feel about killing innocent humans?"

He didn't answer. Was she baiting him? Trying to lure him into a trap? Everything he had been taught, everything he knew told him not to trust this creature, but her words held truth. He was a perfect example of a vampire who chose not to kill, could she be the same? Maybe, possibly …it could happen and yet, he was still wary. She looked so much like Angel. Perhaps the resemblance was simply in his mind. He had been talking about Angel a great deal in the past several hours; maybe he was seeing something that wasn't there.

Skye watched as all these thoughts wandered through his conscious mind. Finally, she had to stop him. Quite honestly, she thought he might just continue pondering forever if she didn't. "Detective Knight, you are not seeing something that isn't there."

"Angel is dead." Nick was staring, unable to comprehend exactly what she was saying.

"Yes, she is."

"Did you know her?"

Skye smiled sadly, "I wish I could have known her better. I was taken away to live with relatives," she paused, "human relatives ...shortly after my birth. She did come to visit whenever she could, but she died before we had a chance to really become friends."

"You're birth?"

"Oh please, Nicholas, surely you didn't think she would stay chaste simply because you could not see her as a woman. For whatever you thought, my mother was a grown woman. She was not your child."

"You can't possibly be her daughter."

Skye stood and walked toward him. Those blue eyes fading to an almost pure white, "Why not? Because the great Nicholas de Brabaut says so? Let me tell you something about your precious Angelica …" All the pain, all the anger, all the resentment Skye had felt for so long towards this man came rushing forth in a tide of fury, "She died because you could neither treat her like a woman, nor let her go. She died because she sought out someone who looked like you, someone to be her lover who could come to her in the daylight. She died because she mistook her feelings towards the Drainer that killed her for passion. You stand there on holy morals and condemn me for what I am, and yet it was because of you that I exist at all."

Nick was silent. Angel had a child? A child that she would steal away to see each night? She had a lover who was a Drainer and he was the one who killed her. He couldn't process this right now; it was too much, too fast.

Skye, however, did not see it that way at all, "I've come here to destroy the Drainer who killed my mother. That's the only reason I'm here, and then I'll go away and we don't ever have to see each other again."

"Skye …" Nick wanted to somehow apologize for everything she had been through, but he didn't know how. He wanted to say something that would make up for the way he had reacted to her presence, but nothing seemed good enough. In the end, he said nothing about it and changed the subject, "Do you know who killed the man we have in the morgue?"

Skye shook her head, "No. I've not met her, but I do know who accompanies her."

"And he is the one you came to …to …"

"Kill, cut into pieces, incinerate and spread his ashes over consecrated ground? Yes."

The venom in her words took Nick by surprise, "Who is he?"

She looked past Nick, towards the door and sighed, "He's my father."


	6. Chapter 6

Same as on the last chapter. Off you go.

Drainers

Nick paused. He honestly didn't know what to say, so he fell back on something he had learned centuries ago: If ever one is speechless because of statement made by another party, take said statement and turn it into a question to get said party to elaborate.

"You're father?"

Skye laughed, "Yeah." She had apparently learned the same lesson. Nick grasped for anything else to talk about, and found they really didn't have anything else to go with, "What are you?"

The question slipped out before he had the chance to stop it. It was rude, it was insulting, and he knew because he got irritated every time someone asked him the same question. Skye seemed unfazed.

"I'm a half-breed, Detective Knight. I have lived on the outskirts of society my entire life, and let me tell you something, that's a damn long time to go on alone. I'm not fully a Drainer, I'm not entirely a vampire, I'm definitely not human and so I have no one. I have nothing. And you know what? The bitch of it is that I can't die either. My dear ole' dad passed on enough genetics to me to keep me alive in any possible situation, save being stuffed in a wood chipper, and mom, well, she saved me from craving vampire blood, "Skye paused and looked at Nick with anger alight in her eyes, "What the hell do you care anyway?"

He was startled, "I do care. You're Angel's child. How that came to be, I don't know. It was my understanding that vampires of any sex cannot have children, however, I am apparently mistaken."

"Ya think?" Skye scoffed and shook her head, "You still don't want to believe it. I feel it radiating off of you. You really just want to stand there and hear me laugh and say 'April Fools' don't you?"

Nick did not respond. He was out of conversational items, and this particular one was getting a bit too personal for the interrogation room.

"Right." Skye moved past him and toward the door, "It's not going to happen. I am who I am. Deal, get over it, and move on. Now, you want me to come take a look at the body, I might be able to pick up some psychic impressions from him."

"I'm sorry, Skye." Nick still didn't want to believe it, but he had to try.

Skye had her hand on the doorknob, but now she turned back. Her eyes continued to flicker with anger and resentment, "Are you? Did you say the same thing to my mother?" With that, she turned and walked out of the room. Nick followed several moments later.

Tracy was standing near Nick's desk, waiting for them patiently. It was uncommon for her to be this patient, and it gave Nick the creeps, "Trace… we should coordinate a task force. From what Skye says this is not going to be the only death. I'm going to take her to the Coroner's Office to see the body." Tracy was unusually receptive to this idea and moved away to talk to Captain Reese. Once she was closed in his office, Nick cast an angry glance at Skye, "You have to stop that."

Skye rolled her eyes, "Why? Because they might find out about you? For God's sake, you're not in the closet, you're a vampire."

Nick grabbed Skye by the arm and hauled her outside, "You listen to me. I know you're angry, and you probably have good right to be, but I'm not your father, I didn't kill Angel. She made her own choices. Free will and all that stuff. So don't come here, to my city, with your attitude and act like I have somehow wronged you. This is my investigation. I am choosing to let you help …"

He never got a chance to finish, "You know what …bite me, okay? You are GOING to let me help because you can't find this killer without me. On top of that, don't give me any of that free will crap. I don't want to hear it. I don't need you to be assertive. Just do your damn job, and I'll get the hell out of your city …with pleasure."

Nick had just about had enough. She was on his very last nerve,"Fine. Okay, fine. Get vengeance, do whatever, and then get out." He turned and stalked toward his car. Skye paused and then followed. Nick looked at her from the driver's side, "What?"

"For one thing, I have no idea where I'm going, and for another, unlike you turned vamps, I can't fly." She was about to open the passenger door, when she thought better of it, "Know what? Forget it, I'll walk."

Nick pushed the passenger door open, "Get in the car. NOW."

Skye got in, but she did so very reluctantly. They drove in absolute silence. Each fuming about what the other had said, or had not said. When they finally arrived, Nick got out and walked into the building without so much as a backward glance. If she followed, great, if not …even better.

"Don't feel the need to wait on me." Skye yelled at him from the car.

"I don't."

Skye walked toward him, "Detective …" Nick did not turn or acknowledge her at all, "NICK." He stopped, and without turning, let her catch up, "We have to try to be cordial. We don't have to like one another, but if you want to catch your murderer, we have to be able to work together."

Nick sighed, "You're right. Come on."

Natalie looked up with a smile when Nick walked in. She was surprised that he was back again so soon. She was not, however, overly excited about the presence of the woman who followed in his wake. She could almost taste the tension humming between them and turned questioning eyes to Nick. He smiled at her and motioned at Skye. The introductions were brief.

"Skye, Natalie, Natalie, Skye. Do you want to look at the body or not?"

Natalie stared. Not only was there tension, but literally outright animosity almost tangible in the air. She had seen Nick angry, but never like this. She shook off the feelings and held her hand out. She didn't know what Nick was angry about but she had no reason to be rude. "I'm sorry. Please ignore him." Skye glanced at Nick who was burrowing a hole in Natalie's head with his eyes. Nat ignored him. "I'm Dr. Lambert, the Chief Medical Examiner."

Skye smiled, "Skye Chambers."

"From England? Are you a detective?" Nick bristled at the small talk going on between the two women. He'd just as soon get the Drainer out of the building, but then again …what was he supposed to tell Natalie? As it turned out, he didn't have to tell her anything.

"Yorkshire, "Skye laughed, "And I'm not a detective, no. I'm a Drainer, seeking another Drainer in this case."

From the look of absolute fear that crossed Natalie Lambert's face, Skye could see that Nick had told her a lot. Then again, she had actually never seen two people so very much in love or so incredibly determined to deny it.

"A Drainer?" Nat's entire face had drained of color and her eyes wandered over to Nick. Was he infatuated with this woman? Did she have the effect on him that he said all Drainers had on vampires?

Skye was actually shaking her head, "Initially, probably my presence was enough to interest him, but no, he doesn't feel it. Well, not as much as he would."

"Would if what…?" Natalie wasn't sure where the conversation was going, and suddenly she was not sure she wanted to know. Nick had turned at the question, his eyes now resting on Skye. Skye looked at them both, sighed and shook her head,

"Look, you guys want to deny it, that's fine with me, but as I think Nick can now attest, I don't say things that aren't true and I rarely, if ever, sugar coat the facts. So let me ask you something …do you want me to answer that question?"

Natalie paused. The entire room seemed to stand still in time, waiting for her answer, "Yes."

Skye nodded, "He doesn't feel it as much as he normally would, because he's so very much in love with you."


	7. Chapter 7

Drainers

Part Six of Many

Both Nick and Natalie stared in dumbfounded amazement at the young woman standing matter of factly in the room. She looked from one face to the other and finally smirked and shrugged, "Right. Deny it if you want, but it's so completely obvious. Even if you think you're hiding it..." Skye paused and walked over to the body she had originally come to examine. She pulled back the sheet and looked critically at his pale face before glancing behind her and finishing her statement, "You're not."

Nick and Natalie spoke at the same time, "WHAT?"

Skye turned back to the body, "You're not hiding it. Well, not very well at any rate." She leaned forward toward the body, "He smells funny."

Natalie moved from Nick's side and walked over to stand next to Skye. She was shaking her head, but smiling, "You're very blunt, Ms. Chambers."

Skye turned her head slowly to look at Natalie, "I am many things Dr. Lambert. Many things."

Skye's lips continued to move, but it was like white noise to Natalie as her mind blanked out completely. She stared aimlessly into a pair of eyes that were so blue it was almost painful to her. Her chest felt tight and she couldn't pull herself away. She fell forward in her mind, drowning in those eyes, lost forever, and she didn't care. She wondered what Skye might need or want. She would give her anything ...anything at all. She could not deny her if she asked, nor did she want to.

Blood.

The thought passed through her mind. Perhaps Skye needed blood. Her blood. Natalie stood completely transfixed. Unable to do anything to calm the thoughts that continued to rampage through her mind. Her body, her soul, her very life would be offered up in an instant to this other woman although she did not know why she would do such a thing. Natalie didn't move, nor did she speak. The only thing that existed to her in that moment was Skye Chambers and those eyes, so beautiful, so very much like Nick's.

Nick.

At this one thought the image of his face swam through the cloud in Natalie's mind. She blinked once. Then again. Trying to claw her way back to the surface of her consciousness. His face, his smile, his overwhelming love jerked her back and out of the trance that had held her captive for several moments.

Skye was staring at her as if she were a leper, "Dr. Lambert, did you hear anything I just said?"

Natalie literally had to shake her head several times before the grayness in her mind finally receded, "I'm sorry. Could you repeat it?"

Skye tilted her head to one side. Her eyes flickered with something one might describe as anger, "What were you just thinking?"

"Sorry?"

"I'm not kidding here. What was just going through your mind a moment ago?"

Natalie knew from the tone of Skye's voice that she was deadly serious. Nat tried to shrug it off, "I don't know. I just got lost in thought. I apologized."

"This is not a joke, doctor."

Natalie took several steps away from Skye, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Skye closed the distance. She was not going to let this drop. Something was not right about this situation, "I think you do." Skye reached out at grasped her shoulder to stop her backpedaling, "It's very important that you be completely honest with me right now."

Nick had been watching the exchange in confusion, but now his face cleared and he appeared as if he was beginning to understand, "its okay Nat. Answer the question."

Natalie looked from Nick to Skye. The gravity in his voice, more than anything else, caused her to try to think back. She drew a blank, "I honestly can't remember."

Nick took her arm and pulled her around to face him, "Are you sure?"

Natalie nodded and Skye looked at them both. Her eyes flickered with anger and it was all for Nick, "And you call my kind disgusting."

The statement took them both off guard, "What?"

Skye shook her head, "Forget it. I forgot you were in denial."

Natalie moved away from Nick and planted herself firmly in front of Skye, "Tell me."

Skye looked up and shook her head, "We went over this already. If you don't want to know, don't ask me."

"I know that."

Skye paused. She seemed reluctant to speak her mind. For some people, that would be normal, for Skye it was unheard of. She chanced a quick glance at Nick. There were things she talked about because she honestly didn't care what other people thought. There were things that should never have to be secret, and so she spoke freely of these things too. She had no capacity for deceit and she knew it, but this time ...this time it was none of her business. Finally, after several moments of complete silence, she sighed, "Ask Detective Knight."

Natalie opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. If Skye was unwilling to talk about it; something was definitely wrong.

Skye changed the subject so quickly that it took Nick a few seconds to follow her, "The Drainer we're looking for is going to be a female. An old one. Really old."

Nick hadn't known Skye for very long, but he knew, without any doubt at all, that it was unlike her to be so evasive.

Natalie had apparently decided to let the moment go and picked up on the subject at hand, "Are you sure? A woman?"

Skye turned those clear eyes back to Natalie and smiled, "Yes. I'm sure."

"But ..." Natalie started to protest but Skye cut her off.

"Female Drainers can offer more to a male vampire than a male could offer them ..." Skye paused and considered her next words carefully, "I don't know how much Nick has told you ..."

Natalie stopped her, "He's told me everything."

"Really?" Skye's next words made both of them stare at her in confusion, "Why do I find that so hard to believe?" Skye's eyes raked over Nick again and he was certain of only one thing. She was angry. Really, really angry and he had no idea what would cause this level of animosity.

"Skye." She turned and looked at Nick. She was so angry now that her eyes flickered and sparked with it. They had faded to an almost white that was unnerving; "Can we talk out in the hall for a second?"

"Why?"

Nick was already headed for the door. He was so used to people doing what he asked right when he asked it that he was not prepared for her to question him. Finally he added, "Please?"

Skye didn't look pleased, but she walked into the hallway with him nevertheless. Natalie walked over to the body to continue her examination, although what had killed him was quite obvious. She had the feeling that some weird vampire thing was happening. She was certain Nick would explain it later.

Out in the hall, Nick faced Skye. Although he was nearly a head and a half taller than she was, she met his eyes and did not flinch away.

She was not a happy person right now, "Okay. What is your problem? I understand that you don't like me, but this level of open anger has got to be more than just your feelings about your mother. We both said we were going to be cordial."

"Yeah? Well, that was before." Skye actually started to turn away when Nick reached the very end of his rope and his anger overwhelmed him.

"Wait one damn minute. Before WHAT?"

Skye was clearly unimpressed by this show of male testosterone. Her eyes paled again, sparking with blue fire. She was not yelling. Her voice was barely a whisper, but Nick heard every word, "Before I knew you were feeding off that woman. She is an innocent. You're disgusting. Now, if you don't mind ..."

Nick felt like someone had just slammed a freightliner into his chest, "WHAT? What are you talking about?"

"She was affected by me. By my presence. I turned her mind, Detective. You may be able to hide it from her, but not from me. I know the rules. Humans cannot be affected by Drainers unless they have either been fed from quite frequently or made love with a vampire. That's how it works, so don't act all innocent and holy on my account."

Nick was finally beginning to understand what Skye was saying, "You're not serious." He stopped and shook his head, "Of course you're serious." He stuck a finger in Skye's chest, not caring if he was hurting her, "You can't honestly think that I would ...that I could ever ..."

Nick finally had to stop himself. The reality of what he was saying, of what Skye was now insinuating, dropped into his stomach like lead, "You don't think that she ...no ...she wouldn't. I mean, she's talked about it, but we decided ...I mean I though it was mutual, I didn't realize ...no ...no she wouldn't. I don't believe it ..." He was rambling, but the truth was there, staring him in the face.

Skye watched him carefully. The pain in his face was proof enough that she had been wrong, "Neither do I. She loves you. Whatever that does or does not mean to you, she loves you with her whole heart; her very soul. You're right, she wouldn't do that."

"If not me, then who?" His heart felt like it was breaking in two. Could he go on if she had another lover, not only another lover but a vampire lover? Was it someone he knew? Was he going to have to kill someone, because if they had taken advantage of her he would ...no matter who they were?

Skye's eyes bled back to their normal color as she looked on Nick with a sadness that bordered on pity, "Listen to me."

Nick was lost in thought. So much so that Skye had to physically grab him to get him to pay attention, "Nick. Listen to me. Has she ever stayed over at your place during the day? When you were sleeping. Not necessarily together, just near one another, for comfort."

Nick nodded slowly, "Sure. Many times."

Skye let out her breath in a gust. She glanced from Nick to the Coroner's Office and back to Nick, "Did you ever dream about her at any time when she was there? One of those dreams that seems so real you can actually feel her body, taste her skin on your tongue when you wake up?"

Nick though back. Yes, there had been a dream like that once. He and Natalie, alone in his bedroom, doing things to one another that by all rights should never happen ...could never happen. He took her in that dream, unable to stop himself. He could remember it as clearly right at this moment as he did when he woke up after he had it. He could taste her blood, remember her dreams and her passion, feel the love that coursed through them both. He stared at Skye in awe, his voice confused, frightened, "It was a dream."

Skye looked up into his eyes and he could see the truth there before she spoke, "It wasn't a dream, Nick."


	8. Chapter 8

For several minutes, Nick didn't say anything at all. He was too overwhelmed by the entire situation for any actual cohesive though. His brain was simply unable to process the possibility that he had made love to Natalie and not only did she not remember it, but he didn't remember it either.

"It's impossible." This was quite honestly the only thing he could think of to say. Skye did not seem surprised by his reaction.

"Isn't it? Are you saying there was no such dream?"

Nick shook his head, "No, I'm not saying that. I just don't think that if we ...I mean, had we ...I wouldn't forget ...maybe someone else, but not Natalie."

Skye raised a hand to silence him, "Calm down, Detective. You didn't forget. It's there, in your mind. You remember; so does she."

"It was a DREAM."

Skye nodded, "Look, when you deny your conscious mind what it desires, those feelings tend to bleed into your dreams."

"Okay. I would have to agree with that, but .."

Skye put a hand to her temple as if Nick were giving her a pounding headache, "No. There are no but's here. For most people, for ...human people, the subconscious mind is a saftey net. You can do things in your dreams that you can't or won't in reality. What you must understand is that a human mind and a vampire mind are completely different."

Skye really wanted him to stop asking questions. He was obviously not going to understand, and she wasn't at all sure she could explain it to him, "Different how?"

"Oh, for God's sake. You're a vampire. Your mind is highly telepathic. What, you think you hypnotise people by accident? When vampires dream, if the dream, if the desire is strong enough, they will act out those dreams in a sleeping state. Didn't whomever it was who made you explain this?" Skye was beginning to get tired. Nick Knight was going to be insistant about being oblivious to his own state of being. That was fine with her, as long as they caught the person she had come here for.

"He has long since stopped sharing information with me."

"Well, then he's an asshole. Sorry." Skye paused and finally fell back on what she knew so well ...be blunt. "Here's the deal." She glanced at the door to the Coroner's Office, "Either you make love to that woman in a concious state where both parties are completely aware of what is happening, or you tell her not to stay with you anymore. Those are your choices."

"I don't like those choices." Nick was grasping at straws and he knew it. He couldn't continue to invade Natalie's privacy, or take advantage of her while she slept, but for him the other option as out of the question. Wasn't it?

Skye sighed, "Too bad."

Nick took a deep breath, "I have to tell her. I have to talk to her."

Skye nodded, "Yes, you do. But I suggest you wait until you can deal with this problem specifically by itself. Right now we have bigger problems to deal with."

Nick composed himself with effort and opened the door, "You're right. Let's catch a killer, shall we?"

Skye looked at him and smiled directly at him for the first time, "Good plan."

It was then that he felt it. That overwhelming desire. That need that filled him and rocked him to the very core of his being. In that one moment, in that brief second, he wanted Skye more than he had wanted anything ...ever. He actually started to reach for her, when a vision of Natalie shimmered into his mind. It cleared his thoughts; allowed him to breath again.

Skye was actually standing just inside the door watching him with amusement on her face, "And keep in mind that I'm only half Drainer."

Nick paused. She was right. He had not considered this before now. If she was a half-blood and still affected him so completely, how could he possibly face a full-blood?

He was actually thinking so loud that Skye winced, "Your love will keep you grounded, just like it did a moment ago. Your partner will also help keep you grounded, and so will I."

"Tracy?" Nick had not really considered taking Tracy with him. Now, he was beginning to realize that this was not something he could solve on his own. He was going to need all the help he could get.

Skye turned and looked back at him, "Don't tell me that she's involved with a vamp, too."

Nick shook his head, "No. Or, not that I know of."

"Well, she didn't react to me at the station, so that's a good sign."

They walked into the office to find Natalie sitting at her desk, patiently waiting for them to return, "Does Tracy know about you?"

Nick and Natalie spoke together, "NO!"

"Okay. Chill, I'm not going to tell her."

Natalie calmed at once. Her entire demeanor was surprising to Skye. Skye smiled at her. She was very much impressed with Dr. Lambert. She showed no signs of jealousy. None at all. Considering that the man she loved had just dragged another woman into a hallway for a private conversation, it was unusual, but then, she was unique among humans, as far as Skye was concerned. It was not unusual for a human, especially a woman, to become infatuated with a vampire. The mystery that surrounded immortality was irrestiable, but this human ...she was different.

She did not see Nicholas de Brabaut, the vampire. She saw Nick Knight, the man. A man she loved without condition, vampire or not. The concept that he belonged to her was a foregone conclusion. She did not question it.

Skye turned to see Nick walking uneasily around the office, "Okay. So your partner doesn't know, but she does know vampires exist, right?"

Nick nodded, but his eyes were on Natalie. What was he supposed to say to her? Should he apologize?

Skye ignored this and continued, "Does she know that you know that vampires exist?"

"No." Natalie had to answer for him. She was watching him with curiousity. He didn't appear to be capable of speaking, and he was uneasy. It was unlike him, however, this case was unlike anything he had dealt with in his lifetime.

Skye took pity on him and addressed herself to Natalie, "Well ...then I'm not sure how to go about doing this, then."

"Why?" Natalie cast another questioning glance at Nick. He had moved until he was all the way across the room. As far as he could possibly get without actually being outside.

Skye continued to ignore him. He had to get a grip, and soon, "She will be a benefit to us, but I think she should know we're looking for a Drainer and the potential effect that can have on ...uhm ...well ...crap. She doesn't know, you won't tell her ...but she needs to know what to look for. It is unusual for vampires to be overwhelmed by attraction to any one person. If she knows what she's looking for, she'll be more help."

Nick finally moved and joined in the conversation, "Vachon can tell her. Her can make it sound like he found out through the grapevine."

Natalie was nodding in agreement. Skye sighed, "Okay, who is Vachon?"

Natalie answered, "Javier Vachon. A friend of Tracy's."

"Vamp?"

Natalie nodded.

"Okay, sounds good. It would be helpful if you came with us also, doctor."

"Call me Natalie. And how would that help?"

Skye paused. The real answer was that Skye could watch Natalie for a reaction to the people they spoke to and therefore know when and if they were involved with a Drainer. What she actually said was, "You're human. Drainer's don't affect you. I didn't know I was going to be working with a vampire. As long at this Drainer remains at large, Nick and every other vampire in this city is in danger."

Nick looked from Skye to Natalie, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

When Skye turned to look at Nick, something unspoken passed between them. He seemed to be absolutely against the idea of Natalie accompanying them. Finally Skye looked away and nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. Among other things, she is your touchstone. She binds you to the mortal plane in a way that no one else can. I understand your desire to deny your feelings, believe me, but for now, for the length of this case, I need you both to simply accept that they are there and use them to your advantage.

Nick and Natalie exchanged a look, and then both nodded.

Skye paused, waiting for them to continue but after several moments, she realized this was the only acknowledgement she was going to get, "Good enough. Let's go get our fourth, and take care of this case. Is there a vampire hangout in this town?"

"The Raven." They spoke together, at the same time. Skye laughed.

"That's going to be the best place to start then."

They were just turning to leave when Nick's cell phone rang. He answered and listened in silence. He face hardened as he hung up, "That was Tracy, the've found another body."


	9. Chapter 9

"Did she say anthing else

"Did she say anthing else?" Skye looked concerned. More concerned than she probably should and it was giving Natalie the creeps. Nick seemed oblivious.

He shook his head, "No. Just to meet her there."

Skye looked at Natalie and the two women nodded, "Well, let's not hang around here anymore."

Nick turned and walked out of the building, but Skye stayed where she was. Natalie was about to follow him until Skye reached out and grasped her shoulder, "Hang on for a second."

Skye looked out the door to see Nick unlocking his car. She glanced at Natalie, her eyes clouded with worry.

"What is it?" Natalie had suspected something was wrong, and it made her stomach drop into her shoes.

Skye sighed, "Two murders, left out in the open ...it's all wrong."

"Why?"

"Look, Natalie, the reason Drainers are considered 'legend' is because they don't leave bodies. Generally speaking, I've never heard of a Drainer who was so careless that they simply left a body lying out in the open. If ever a Drainer is caught, it's because they made a mistake ...like leaving a finger on the ground or something. It's small, humans don't notice, most vampires don't notice. Only other Drainers, trained to do this sort of thing, can even begin to track these creatures down." Skye's voice was almost panicked, not quite, but almost.

"So, what does this mean?" She asked the question even though she was pretty sure she knew exactly what it meant. Natalie was not at all sure she wanted to hear the answer, but in her heart, she knew she had to.

Skye paused, glanced out at Nick who was waving at them to hurry up, and back at Natalie, "It means this killer meant for the police to find the bodies."

"The killer knows about Nick, that's what you're saying."

Skye nodded, "Yep. That's what I'm saying. Come on."

Skye led the way out of the building toward the car, she spoke softly as they walked, "Look, stay close to him. In fact, if possible, don't let him out of your sight. He's in more danger than he realizes."

"What can I do?"

Skye sighed. People in denial were fairly common, but damn inconvenient. She went for a modified version of the truth, "Because of your close connection to Nick, you can feel the presence of Drainers. But your human, so your reaction is delayed, and only if you look directly into their eyes. Avoid eye contact unless I tell you otherwise. If you start feeling strange, or if you think Nick is acting strange, you need to tell me. Immediatley. Okay? You love him, yes?"

Natalie stopped and looked at Skye. For several moments she didn't speak at all, but finally, "Yes."

"I can't stress enough how much that feeling is to your advantage. You know him better than anyone. You'll know if something isn't right long before the rest of us figure it out. Understand?"

Natalie only nodded and opened the door to the car, effectively ending the conversation. She didn't want to deal with this now, but it was beginning to appear she had no choice. Not only her, but Nick as well. They had both been running from their feelings for so long, she wasn't sure she was up to openly admitting how deep the love she had for him ran. She sighed, and Nick looked at her sideways, "Okay?"

Natalie smiled at him, "Fine. Let's go."

They arrived at the crime scene within 15 minutes. Skye had turned white and was clutching the door handle with every ounce of strength in her body. While both Natalie and Nick seemed completely unfazed by his driving, Skye was telling herself that she was never getting into a car with him behind the wheel again. They both got out and walked toward Reese and Tracy who were waving them over. Skye had to pry her fingers off the door, and allow for circulation to come back into her hands before she could join them.

Tracy looked slightly queasy, but she was hiding it well, "Same MO as the last guy. Cut on the upper torso, no blood. It's weird." She stopped talking and looked past everyone into the trees.

Nick also looked up, "What?"

Tracy seemed uncomfortable, "Uhm ...I don't know. I just have a feeling ...I'll be right back." She stepped over the body and strode off into the trees.

Skye looked completley confused. But Nick and Natalie only smiled. Natalie turned to Skye, "Vachon."

Skye almost laughed, "Ah, I see."

It was right at that moment, when they were all beginning to relax and laugh together that Nick stiffened. His whole body went taunt. Not only did Natalie notice, but Skye saw it too.

Skye walked to his side, "What is it?"

Nick's eyes had glazed over, almost like he had been drugged, "Vachon is not the only one out there."


	10. Chapter 10

Skye took a deep breath and looked directly at Nick and Natalie, "Both

Skye took a deep breath and looked directly at Nick and Natalie, "Both  
of you stay here." She looked past them, into the dense trees. Nick  
was right, there was something out there and it was making her skin  
crawl. Both Nick and Natalie opened their mouths to protest, but Skye cut  
them off, "I mean it. Stay here and if I don't come back, get Tracy  
and go to the Raven." Skye could see that neither of them appeared to be  
willing to let her walk into those trees alone. In retrospect, perhaps  
the words 'if I don't come back' were not the best choice.

"Listen to me, both of you. There are dangers involved here that I  
cannot begin to explain. I am trained for this sort of thing …you …are  
not."

Nick shifted his weight as if he were getting ready to move,"I can help

Skye shook her head, "No you can't, Nick. Not this time. Believe me  
when I say that your time to face this demon will come, but it will not  
be today."

Nick did not look convinced. Skye looked at Natalie, "Help me." The  
tone of her voice was such that Natalie grasped Nick's arm.

"Let her go, Nick. Let her go." While Natalie felt that this idea  
went beyond her best judgment, it also felt as if, somehow, Skye needed to  
face this on her own. Natalie had the distinct impression that Skye  
had needed to face this moment in her life for a very long time.

Nick watched helplessly as Skye strode away. She did not stop, nor did  
she look back and Nick couldn't help but feel he was letting her walk  
right into death.

Skye walked for several minutes, until she was sure she was out of the  
line of sight of anyone else, and stopped. She raised her hands over  
her head, flexing her fingers, as if trying to reach out and touch the  
night itself. Actually, this was not far from the mark. She was  
touching the night, but not with her hands. She cast her mind into the  
darkness, searching …searching, until she ran into an entity.

"I know you're out here. You can't hurt me, so why don't you come out  
and save me the effort of tracking your sorry ass down." She didn't  
honestly think these words would have an effect on the being standing  
there, but she wanted to give it a chance. Everyone deserved a chance,  
even a killer.

Nothing happened. Silence closed in around Skye. She reached out  
again. The entity wasn't moving toward her, but it wasn't running either.  
Overconfidence was a wonderful thing, but the creature's time was up.

Skye stood completely still and closed her eyes. Breathe in, breathe  
out, breathe in, breathe out. Her hands snapped and began to grow  
longer; sharp, deadly dagger like nails extended from her fingers. Breathe  
in …her back bowed slightly and her knees buckled. The bones crackled  
as they moved inside her, making her smaller, bunching her muscles,  
lowering her center of gravity. Breathe out …her teeth elongated,  
slipping out to touch the top of her lip. Oh yes, she was deadly. Her  
genetics had made her a weapon that both vampire and human governments alike  
would die to get their hands on. Personally, she felt like Freddy  
Krueger, but it beat the hell out of carrying weapons around.

Skye opened her eyes and looked around. They were no longer the  
cornflower blue that sparkled with happiness and laughter, but black …so  
black that one would be hard pressed to find the pupil. It was her night  
vision. Perfect, complete and without flaws. It allowed her to see the  
area around herself as if it were daylight. She was, without a doubt,  
terrifying to look at in what she called "defensive mode." She had  
discovered this particular part of her genetic makeup several centuries  
ago, but it had taken her almost 10 years to master it. She was deadly,  
strong, powerful, telepathic and immortal. It was a Goth's dream and  
Skye's personal nightmare.

It was just one more thing that made her an outcast. She was not so  
much a loner by choice, but more by genetics. Skye had long ago come to  
terms with what she was, but others tended to be wary …afraid even.  
She wasn't even sure she could blame them. Half Drainer, half vampire  
and more powerful than both.

Skye looked around. There were two people several meters away speaking  
in whispers. Tracy and Vachon. She continued searching until her eyes  
fell on a lone figure, just out of her line of sight. As she stepped  
through the trees toward her target, she felt a strange sense of  
foreboding. Something wasn't right. Her eyes fell on the person now standing  
in front of her and Skye came to a grinding halt. She stared, open  
mouthed, for a very long time. It wasn't, it couldn't be …she was dead.  
In her surprise, her body returned to normal and when finally her eyes  
returned to blue, they were staring into another pair of eyes …eyes  
identical to her own.

"Mother?"


	11. Chapter 11

Angelica Chambers looked exactly the same now as she had over 600 years  
ago. Gleaming blonde curls, radiant blue eyes and not a day over 15.

"Hello Skye. You have changed." That was it. Not 'I've missed you'  
or 'I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you' but 'you have changed.'

"What are you doing here …" Skye paused in horror as the truth found  
it's way into her brain, "You killed that man, didn't you? You  
murdered an innocent. Why? Why would you do that? What are you?" Skye's  
voice was desperate. She wanted a reason, something logical, something  
easily explained, something …anything that would allow her to dismiss  
this murder.

"I didn't know you would be here, child." Angelica felt a certain  
amount of pride that her child had turned out so well. Most  
Drainer/vampire half-breeds tended to go insane, but Skye did not look insane. She  
looked lost, hurt, and confused.

"Why would it make any difference if I was here?

A look of sadness crossed Angelica's face before it became impassive  
and cold once again, "I do not want to kill you, Skye. Your presence  
makes this more complicated than it should be."

"What are you talking about?" A cold chill was beginning to work its  
way up Skye's spine. Something was wrong here …terribly wrong.

"Nicholas, of course." Angelica laughed as if Skye should have known  
this. The laugh was girlish, innocent and yet filled with a type of  
malice Skye had trouble placing.

Certainly Skye had known that her mother was obsessed with Nicholas de  
Brabaut, but that man was gone and in his place, Nick Knight now  
existed. He had changed, Skye had changed, and God help her, Angelica  
had changed. Skye could see now that her mother was no longer there. The  
woman who had cared enough to give up her child to humans, the woman  
who loved her half-breed daughter so much that she would rather have died  
than told anyone where she had taken her …that woman was gone. Skye  
stood there, staring into her mother's face, but she did not recognize  
the person behind those eyes. There was nothing of Angel left. Skye was  
looking into the face of a stranger.

A stranger, moreover, determined to get to Nicholas; even if that meant  
going through Skye, "He's out of your reach now, Angelica." Skye could  
no longer refer to the creature in front of her as 'mother' for she had  
long since ceased to be Angelica, as Skye knew her. She killed without  
cause or remorse, she killed innocents for vengeance. Skye could not  
think of her as her mother because it would prevent her from doing what  
she was beginning to realize was inevitable. She was going to have to  
kill her.

Angel seemed oblivious to this concept. She laughed again, "Oh, my  
daughter, he is never out of my reach. He has always been mine."

Skye shook her head, "Go back to England. Disappear. He's in love."  
Skye wanted more than anything for Angel to do what she asked. To go  
back to England and disappear. If she would only do that, Skye could  
try to forget this happened and let Angel sink back into obscurity. If  
she would just do this one thing, Skye might make it through this, she  
might be able to recover.

"I know he's in love. Natalie Lambert …very …homey for a human. I  
always thought his taste tended more to radiant beauty, but you never  
can tell. Oh yes, I quite enjoy watching Ms. Lambert."

Skye's blood turned to ice, "What are you talking about?"

Angel turned, preparing to walk away, "You will see, little one, you  
will see."

Skye flexed her hand once, allowing the dagger-like nails to reappear.  
She had to strike now, before it was too late. She had to do this. It  
didn't matter that this woman was responsible for her very existence,  
Skye was bound by her own conscience to stop her and if she didn't do  
it now, the next time it might be too late. And yet as Angel walked  
deeper into the darkness, Skye found she was paralyzed.

A hand grasped her shoulder and with full defensive force, she turned.  
Her teeth snapped, and a slightly feral sound escaped from her throat.  
Her eyes blazed with a reddish glow in the depths of all that  
blackness.

Tracy Vetter almost had a heart attack. She took several steps away  
before she realized that she was looking at Skye. Well, it looked like  
Skye …it also looked deadly. A vampire …but not exactly, "Skye?"

It took every ounce of self-control Skye possessed not to take Tracy's  
head off. Skye sucked in several deep breaths, willing herself to  
forget the psychotic eyes staring at her from her mother's face. She  
willed herself to calm, and when she at last opened her eyes, they were  
blue once again, "Damnit Tracy, you scared me."

Tracy looked at Skye in awe, "I scared YOU? What the hell was that?"

"Truth? Or convenient, but less freaky and more believable lie?"

Tracy shook her head, "It's okay. I know about vampires, but that  
…that was something I've never seen before."

Skye smiled, "Yes, well …I'm complicated."

"Vampire?"

"Sort of?"

Tracy laughed, "Good enough. I won't say anything. I mean, who'd  
believe me anyway, right?"

For a moment, Skye was completely lost and then she realized what Tracy  
was talking about. She didn't know about Nick, and he apparently  
wanted it to stay that way. Skye shrugged. Whatever, it was his life;  
though Skye didn't see how telling Tracy would be a hindrance to him.  
She was obviously okay with the whole vampire concept, "I'd appreciate it  
if you didn't."

"No problem." Tracy motioned with her head toward the crime scene,  
"That dead guy, he's a vampire, isn't he?"

Skye nodded, "Yes, and the other one as well."

Tracy looked horrified, "Did Natalie say anything?"

"Oh …oh, uhm …no, I covered it up as best I could …had the body  
incinerated."

Tracy looked down at the ground as if trying to make a decision and  
then back up, "What is going on, Skye? A friend of mine, a vampire, he  
was just explaining to me about Drainers. Is that why you're here?"

"I am trained to search out rogue Drainers, Tracy. That's my job."

Tracy considered this for a moment and finally, "Okay. How can I  
help?"

Skye grinned. She was liking the humans Nick associated with more and  
more, "Work with me, that'll be a big help."

"What are we going to tell Nick?"

Skye's grin faded, "Uhm …"

Tracy cut her off before she could even begin speaking, "Know what?  
I'll take care of it."

"Good. Thanks." They turned and started walking back toward the crime  
scene when Skye stopped, "Hey. Is there a vamp hangout in this city?"

Tracy nodded, "The Raven."

Skye almost laughed. It appeared that everyone knew about this club.  
She wondered if it remained popular with real vampires, or simply  
posers who wished they could be, "That's the best place to start. You  
and I will go together, and Nick and Natalie should stick together."

"Natalie? She's not a cop."

"Did your friend explain to you what a Drainer does?"

"He said it was a legend." Skye could see the cloud of doubt on  
Tracy's face.

"But he did tell you?"

"Yes."

"That's something. So you and me, Nick and Natalie."

Tracy shook her head, "I don't see the point in bringing Natalie. We  
could put her in unnecessary danger."

Skye sighed. She had hoped the young detective would be just a bit  
more perceptive, "Natalie will help keep him grounded."

"Grounded?" Tracy's eyes flickered over to where she could see the  
flashing lights of police cars, and back to Skye's face.

Skye stared, and then realized she had said too much. Nick's secret  
was on the verge of being exposed. A light broke across Tracy's face,  
"You don't mean …"

Skye took a sharp breath. She had messed up this time; this whole  
thing was about to blow up in a big way. Tracy's mind was working;  
putting together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that Skye had provided the last  
pieces of for her. Skye cursed under her breath as she saw Tracy put  
the last piece of the puzzle into place.

"Oh my God …of course. Nick."


End file.
